April 25! What does that make you think of, besides Zucchini Bread Day and Arbor Day? DNA Day, of course! This day celebrates the day when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and their colleagues published papers in a journal called Nature on how DNA is structured- in 1953, also known as the day when the double helix structure of DNA was discovered. Another well-timed accomplishment on this day was that the Human Genome Project (a project that focused on mapping the human DNA) was completed in 2003 on April 25.

Steps

1

Make a model of DNA! DNA is a double helix structure that makes up all living things. Luckily, the odd shape of DNA can be copied using flexible materials. Get creative and use foods, candy, pipe cleaners, wire, balloons, cords, etc.

2

Learn what DNA is made of. If you are still in middle school, or haven't learned about DNA yet, then learning it now will help you greatly in the future.

3

Attend some of the celebratory events taking place at the Smithsonian museum. Many presentations will be given by, both famous and infamous alike, historians, scientists, geneticists, and physicians. Some of these events will take place at the Museum of Natural History.

4

Enter the National DNA Day American Society of Human Genetics Essay Contest. This contest is open to students in grades 9-12. The rules change every year, so make sure to look up the official rules for your current year.

5

Make DNA sequence bracelets!

You will need: 44 round, colored beads (blue for cytosine, yellow for guanine, red for thymine, and green for adenine) and 2 pieces of elastic.

Tie the pieces of elastic together at the end (about 5 cm in).

Add the beads as you want- except for one rule. Adenine (green) always pairs with thymine (red) and cytosine (blue) always pairs with guanine (yellow). You can do it in random order if you'd like, but it won't look as realistic.